


Ghosting

by orphan_account



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Autistic Newt Scamander, Baker Jacob Kowalski, Credence Barebone Gets a Hug, Credence Barebone Lives, Credence Barebone Needs a Hug, Credence Barebone-centric, Credence is best friends with a runespoor, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Jacob is doing his best, Sort Of, no one is quite sure how this happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 04:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14633789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Credence Barebone has been alone a long time. He's been left alone and forced to suffer, to hide what he is.With Newt, things are different.(Credence meets Newt's friends seperately and together. Newt knows that he needs help and he knows he can't provide it alone.)





	Ghosting

**Author's Note:**

> H

“Good morning, Credence.” Says Newt as he climbs down into the case. “Not feeling up to corporeality today?” 

The black mass roiling on the ceiling gives no answer, but Newt doesn’t expect it to. 

“Do come in, Jacob. He won’t hurt you, I promise. He’s quite harmless.” 

The No-Maj that climbs down after Newt looks hesitant. Credence sort of understands, in a very abstract way, the way he always thinks when he’s like this. “This another one of your creatures, Newt?”

Newt is distracted with making tea, and his answer comes a few moments too late. Jacob seems used to it. “Hm? Oh, blimey, no. This is Credence.”

There’s a pause, and Credence creeps further along the ceiling. “Credence… You mean… That kid that killed those people?” 

“Quite. I assure you, he’s perfectly safe now. He wouldn’t hurt you unless you hurt him first. Which, really, is the entire reason he hurt those people in the first place.”

The No-Maj makes a faint “Oh.” and sits down in a chair. The mass of Credence roils a little bit faster, curling and flicking in agitation because he  _ doesn’t like to be reminded _ . 

“None of that, now, Credence.” Chides Newt lightly, as if there isn’t a deadly magical entity that could rip him to pieces without a thought on his wall. “It’s over now.” 

Credence continues to writhe, but Newt ignores him and hands Jacob his tea. “Just ignore him, he’ll settle down in a moment.”

Settle down Credence does, slowly sliding down the wall and curling up, feeling himself gain hands and feet and torso and eyes and the rest of the things that come with being a person.

The No-Maj lets out a bark of startled laughter, and Credence gets a little smokey but doesn’t disappear entirely.

“Hello, Credence.” Says Newt, and it sounds like he’s smiling. “Would you like some tea?” 

That’s the first time Credence meets Jacob Kowalski, but it isn’t the last.

The second time Credence meets Jacob, it’s at his bakery. He and Newt had visited after the lunchtime rush and the store is empty except for them. 

Newt asks him to stay there for a moment while he goes into his case to get something, and Credence nods obediently.

Jacob smiles a beaming smile at him and takes Newt’s case into the back so he wouldn’t suddenly emerge in front of his customers. 

They’re only gone for a handful of minutes, but it’s enough for some people to come in. 

The bell on top of the door dings and Credence glances up from his hands curiously. 

And his face goes pale.

He knows these boys. A pair of rich kids from Midtown that somehow always managed to find him while he was handing out fliers. 

“Hey, it’s the freak.” Says one of them, and then they’re surrounding him, and he’s going to lose control, it’s going to happen, it just  _ is,  _ he can feel it-

“Heard you murdered your mommy.” Taunts the other, and Credence feels his control slipping, he can feel himself shaking, he knows he can’t stop it.

Someone else says something, he hears it in an abstract way but he’s too busy trying to keep his body to listen, and then it isn’t those two boys in front of him but someone else.

“Hey, kid, you alright?” 

Credence’s hands are burning, the wounds there opening and closing rapidly, and he knows it’s his…  _ Magic…  _ doing it, but he doesn’t know how to stop it. He tips his head up to look at the No-Maj,  _ Jacob,  _ and his eyes are nothing but white, and he gasps out a plea, like he had so long ago to Mr. Graves who wasn’t Mr. Graves. 

_ “Help me, please, help me.”  _

Except this time, there is no slap. Instead, Jacob takes him by the shoulder and leads him into the back room, which is empty except for the case and a few bags of flour, and Credence lets go. 

The Obscurus bursts out of his skin and he screeches and slams into the ceiling, the wall, skitters down it, curls upwards, and calms. He settles against the corner in a pulsing mass of black, and it only takes him a minute or two to sink to the floor and reform.

After a long moment of staring at his knees, his eyes flicker up to Jacob, and the man smiles kindly at him.

Somehow, Credence believes in the kindness of it. 

“That’s pretty dang impressive, kid.” He says, still smiling, and Credence looks at him quizzically. “The whole turning-into-smoke thing.”

“Oh.” Says Credence, still a little confused. “Thanks. I think.” 

His voice is still quiet, and he sort of wants to let go again, but he doesn’t, because then Newt’s head is popping up out of the case and he’s holding something that sort of resembles a lobster but Newt is also covered in soot so whatever it is either catches fire or explodes and Credence is left wondering why, exactly, it was so important to show Jacob this. 

(He doesn’t notice the way Newt’s eyes linger on him and Jacob as they say goodbye, or the way they crinkle in prideful happiness when Jacob claps him on the shoulder and he doesn’t flinch. Newt is more perceptive than people give him credit for.)

**Author's Note:**

> <3


End file.
